A large open space in a building is divided into individual offices by moveable, modular walls that are assembled from multiple wall panels that connect together. The panels provide electrical wiring and electrical outlets for plugging in electrical equipment and electrical appliances. The panels are prewired, in that the electrical wiring and the electrical outlets are installed in the panels at the factory before they are installed in the building. A raceway provides an enclosed tunnel like passage running along the panels to contain the wiring. Containing the wiring in raceway is especially desired to protect the wiring from damage and to prevent electrical shock and electrical fires. The raceway includes a removable cover that extends the entire length of the raceway to uncover the wiring and perform various tasks associated with installation, repair and reconstruction.
During installation of an electrical outlet along the raceway, a skilled worker will need to perform the following tasks; install an outlet box along the raceway, and route the wiring into the outlet box, and connect an electrical outlet to the wiring and install the outlet in the outlet box. Although such installation is time consuming, it can be performed in a factory according to the most efficient means of production. However, once the prewired panels are assembled in a building, installation of additional electrical outlets in the panels is more difficult than factory installation.
In a building, the wiring in a moveable, modular wall may become inadequate and need additional wiring and electrical outlets, for example, when the wiring is overloaded by too many electrical appliances and equipment, or when all the electrical outlets are used up and more are needed, or when sensitive electronic office equipment, such as computers, need their own ground wiring circuit because they may malfunction during the operation of other electrical equipment sharing the same ground wiring circuit. The need to add additional wiring becomes an urgent need, for example, in an instance when computers are moved into the offices, and are plugged into prewired panels, and are unable to work properly because the wiring in the panels is discovered to be inadequate. That leads to a demand to add additional wiring and electrical outlets to the entire building space virtually overnight, so that regular office hours are not interrupted while the inadequate wiring is being fixed. Performing the installation according to traditional techniques using skilled workers, can not be accomplished overnight.
A wiring system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,203, includes electrical wiring in the form of lengths of cable, a junction box, and electrical outlets that are quickly installed because they plug together. Although designed for quick installation, a further need exists to adapt the wiring system for quick, overnight installation in many offices that already have moveable, modular walls. If the installation is time consuming, the installation in the moveable, modular walls can not be accomplished overnight.